Advanced Configuration - Sybase iDataAgent

Table of Contents

Understanding the CommCell Console

Managing the Sybase Server

In the CommCell Console each instance references a Sybase server. Hence it is necessary to create an instance for each Sybase Server to be backed up. You can manage your server/instance as described in the following sections:

Adding a New Sybase Server

Whenever a new Sybase Server is created on the client, you will add the Sybase Server to the CommCell using the following steps:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to the Client Computers | <Client>. Right-click Sybase, point to All Tasks, and then click New Sybase Server.
In the Server Name box type the Sybase server name.
In the SA User Name box, type the Sybase Administrator user name with the permissions to perform data protection, recovery and administrative operations.
In the Account Password box, type the Sybase Administrator user account password. In the Confirm Password box, re-type the password.
In the Sybase Home box, type the path to the directory where the Sybase application files reside. Alternatively, click Browse to select the location.
In the Sybase ASE box, type the Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) environment variable. You can view the path to the ASE directory in .env file residing in the Sybase home directory.
In the Sybase OCS box, type the Sybase Open Client Server (OCS )environment variable. You can view this variable in sybase.env file residing in home directory.
In the Configuration File box, type the path to the configuration file. Alternatively, click Browse to select the location.
In the Shared Memory Directory box, type the location of the directory where you specify the shared memory file name. When you start an Adaptive Server, it creates a shared memory file that resides in the home directory. for example: /opt/sybase/ASE-15_0. Alternatively, click Browse to select the location.
In the Default Database Storage Policy box, select the storage policy.
In the User Name box, type the name of the user with read and write permissions to Calypso Software Installation Directory, client registry directory, Sybase software installation directories and Sybase database devices directories. For Windows, in addition to the name of the user with read and write permissions to the above mentioned directories, you need to type the password in Account Password box and retype the password in Confirm Password box. Click OK.
From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent. Right-click the <Instance>, and then click Properties. Select the Backup Server from the list. Click OK.

Changing the Sybase Home Directory

Sybase HOME directory refers to the location where the Sybase application resides. You can modify the home path location for an instance at any point of time. Use the following steps to change the Sybase HOME directory:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent. Right-click the <Instance>, and then click Properties In the Sybase Home box, type the path to the Sybase application. Alternatively, click Browse to select the location. Click OK.

Changing the Backup Server

If a backup server that is associated to a Sybase server instance reaches its maximum storage capacity even after compressing your earlier backups, you can change the backup server to enhance your backup and restore jobs.

Use the following steps to change the backup server:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent. Right-click the <Instance>, and then click Properties From the Backup Server list, select the backup server name. Click OK.

Configuring the Environment Variables

By default, the Sybase ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise) server library and Open Client Server (OCS )environment variable are located under the Sybase ASE server home directory. Use the following steps to configure Sybase environment variables:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent. Right-click the <Instance>, and then click Properties In the Sybase ASE box, type the Sybase ASE server directory. In the Sybase OCS box, type the Sybase OCS environment variable. Click OK.

Changing the Configuration File

Use the following steps to change the location of the configuration file:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent. Right-click the <Instance>, and then click Properties In the Configuration File box, type the path to the configuration file. Alternatively, click Browse to select the location. Click OK.

Changing the Shared Memory Directory

Sybase uses shared memory for inter process communication and caching the data. Use the following steps to change the location of the shared memory directory:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent. Right-click the <Instance>, and then click Properties In the Shared Memory Directory box, type the path to the Shared memory directory. Alternatively, click Browse to select the location. Click OK.

Manually Creating a Master Database

When you restore an entire Sybase server or a master database, it is highly recommended to select Sybase create devices. However, you can also create a master database manually and then perform a restore without selecting Sybase create devices.

Use the following steps to manually create a master database:

1. First, you need to shut down the Sybase server.

2. Remove the old master database device and manually delete the master.dat from the database directory.

3. Execute the command to create the new master device with an empty password.

   Example:

   /sybase/syb1503/ASE-15_0/bin/dataserver -s S1503LNX -b200M -f -z 2048 -d /sybase/syb1503/data/master.dat -c /sybase/syb1503/ASE-15_0/S1503LNX.cfg

4. Execute the command to start the Sybase server

   Example:

   ./startserver –f RUN_S1503LNX

5. Execute the command to alter the master database

   Example:

   alter database master on master="87M"

6. Restart the Sybase server without a password.

Managing Subclients

When you create an instance, a default subclient is automatically created. The default subclient includes all the databases associated with that instance. If a new database is added to the instance, then that database is automatically assigned to the content of the default subclient. However, you can create user-defined subclients to backup individual or a group of databases.

Creating a User defined Subclient to Backup Specific Databases

If you want to back up groups of specific databases, you can do so by creating a user-defined subclient containing any number of databases that exist within the instance. This is useful if you want to back up a subset of databases at certain times or with a particular frequency.

If you want to divide your backups into smaller groups, you can do so by creating user-defined subclients using the following steps:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent. Right-click the <Instance>, point to All Tasks, and then click New Subclient.
In the Subclient Name box, type the subclient name. Click the Content tab. Click Configure. Click Discover to discover the Sybase databases. Click the Subclient Name column adjacent to the existing databases, and then select the desired subclient from the drop-down list. Repeat this step to assign the available databases to the user-defined subclient. Click OK.
Click the Storage Device tab. In the Storage Policy box, select the storage policy. Click OK.

Enabling/Disabling Automatic Discovery of Databases to the default Subclient

When an automatic database discovery is enabled, all the existing Sybase databases are discovered automatically on the default subclient when a backup job is submitted. If any new databases are added after a previous backup, these newly added databases will be automatically discovered on the default subclient when a backup job is performed.

Use the following steps to enable automatic database discovery:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent. Right-click the <Instance>, and then click Properties. Select the Enable Auto Discovery check box. Click OK.

Manually Discovering Databases

Whenever a backup job is initiated, newly created Sybase databases are discovered automatically on the default subclient.  However, for a user-defined subclient, you need to  manually discover the databases prior to running any backup jobs. Use the following steps to manually discover the Sybase databases:

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase iDataAgent | <Instance>. Right-click the desired <subclient>. Click the Content tab. Click Configure. Click Discover to discover the Sybase databases. Click the Subclient Name column adjacent to the desired database, and then select the desired subclient from the drop-down list. Click OK.

Configuring User Accounts for Backups

The Sybase iDataAgent requires two user accounts to access the Sybase application and database to perform backup and restore operations:

• Operating system account with privileges to access the Sybase application.
• Database user account with administrator privileges.

  On Unix computers, the account information for accessing the database is provided during the Sybase iDataAgent installation.

  On Windows computers, the account information is provided during the instance configuration after the installation of the Agent.

The following table illustrates the required user account privileges for backup and restore operations:

By default, the Sybase database administrator account is used for all components. You can change the user account to be used for backups at the Instance level. This user account will be used for all subclients within the instance. Configure the user account at this level if backup and restore operations will be conducted by a different person for each instance.

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Sybase. Right-click the <Instance> and click Properties. Click the Accounts tab. Type the user name in the User Name box. Type the SA user name in the SA User Name box. Type the password in the SA Account Password box and retype it in the SA Confirm Password box. Click OK.

Configuring Streams for Backups

By default, backup data is sent to media in two streams. This means that a database is sent to media during a backup in two parallel waves. This results in backup taking about half the time to complete as it otherwise would if only one stream is used.

You can increase the number of streams used for backups for a particular subclient provided the number of streams does not exceed the maximum number configured in the subclient's storage policy. Increasing the number of streams for a subclient further reduces the amount of time a backup takes to complete. For example, increasing the number of streams from 2 to 3 enhances backup time from one-half that of a single stream to one-third.

Keep in mind that the same number of streams used for performing a backup will be needed to restore the data.

From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client>| Sybase | <Instance>. Right-click the <Subclient>, and then click Properties. Click the Storage Device tab. In the Number of Data Backup Streams box, type or select the number of data backup streams. Click OK.

Command Line Operations

You can add, modify, or delete several configurable properties for the Sybase iDataAgent from the command line interface.

Command line configuration enables you to:

• configure the same properties across multiple clients simultaneously.
• reuse the same configurations for additional entities.

The following sections describe the available command line configurations:

Log on to the Commserve

To run command line operations you must first login to the CommServe as follows:

• From Command prompt, navigate to <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base and run the following command:

  qlogin -cs <commserve name> -u <user name>

• For example, to log on to CommServe 'server1' with username 'user1':

  qlogin -cs server1 -u user1

Configure Instances

Create an Instance

1. Download the CreateInstance_Template.xml file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute -af CreateInstance_Template.xml -appName 'Sybase Database' -instanceName xxxxx -clientName xxxxx -sybaseHome 'xxxxx' -sybaseASE xxxxx -sybaseOCS xxxxx -configFile 'xxxxx' -sharedMemoryDirectory 'xxxxx' -backupServer xxxxx -defaultDatabaseStoragePolicy/storagePolicyName xxxxx -localAdministrator/userName xxxxx -localAdministrator/password xxxxx -saUser/UserName xxxxx -saUser/password xxxxx -enableAutoDiscovery xxxxx

Modify an Instance

1. Download the ModifyInstance_Template.xml file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute -af ModifyInstance_Template.xml -appName 'Sybase Database' -instanceName xxxxx -clientName xxxxx -sybaseHome 'xxxxx' -sybaseASE xxxxx -sybaseOCS xxxxx -configFile 'xxxxx' -sharedMemoryDirectory 'xxxxx' -backupServer xxxxx -saUser/userName xxxxx -enableAutoDiscovery xxxxx

Get Instance Properties

1. Download the GetInstance_Properties_Template.xml file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute -af  GetInstance_Properties_Template.xml -appName 'Sybase Database' -instanceName xxxxx -clientName xxxxx

Delete an Instance

1. Download the deleteInstance_Template.xml file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute -af deleteInstance_Template.xml -appName 'Sybase Database' -instanceName xxxxx -clientName xxxxx

Available Command Parameters for Instances

The following table displays all the parameters that you can use with the commands mentioned in the above sections. To add a parameter to your command, use the following syntax: (An example is provided at the end of the table.)

qoperation execute -af <template XML file> -<parameter name> <value>

The following example shows how to add a parameter for a command:

For detailed information on the instance parameters see Instance Properties.

Configure Subclients

Create Subclient

1. Download the create_subclient_template.xml file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute –af create_subclient_template.xml -appName 'Sybase Database' -instanceName xxxxx -clientName xxxxx -subclientName xxxxx

Get Subclient Properties

1. Download the get_subclient_properties_template.xml file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute -af get_subclient_properties_template.xml -appName 'Sybase Database' -instanceName xxxxx -clientName xxxxx -subclientName xxxxx

Modify Subclient

1. Download the update_subclient_template.xml file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute -af update_subclient_template.xml -appName 'Sybase Database' -instanceName xxxxx -clientName xxxxx -subclientName xxxxx -dataBackupStoragePolicy/storagePolicyName xxxxx -contentOperationType xxxxx -sybaseContent/databaseName xxxxx

Delete Subclient

1. Download the remove_subclient_template.xml  file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute –af remove_subclient_template.xml -appName 'Sybase Database' -clientName xxxxx -instanceName xxxxx -subclientName xxxxx

Available Command Parameters for Subclients

The following table displays all the parameters that you can use with the commands mentioned in the above sections. To add a parameter to your command, use the following syntax: (An example is provided at the end of the table.)

qoperation execute -af <template XML file> -<parameter name> <value>

The following examples show how to add a parameter for a command:

For detailed information on the Subclient parameters see Subclient Properties.

List Schedule Policy Association

1. Download the sched_policy_association_template.xml file and save it on the computer from where the command will be executed.
2. Execute the following command from the <Software_Installation_Directory>/Base folder after substituting the parameter values.

   qoperation execute –af sched_policy_association_template.xml –taskName mypolicy

Modifying an Agent, Instance, or Subclient

There are several configurable properties available for your agent that can be modified from the agent, instance, or subclient level as per need.

It is recommended that that you do not modify the properties of a subclient when a job is in progress for that specific subclient. If a job is in progress, either wait for the job to complete or kill the job from the Job Controller.

The following table describes the properties that can be configured from the agent, instance, and subclient levels.

Deleting an Agent, Instance, or Subclient

The following sections describe the steps involved in deleting an agent, instance, or subclient.

Deleting an Agent

You need to uninstall or DeConfigure the agent software from the client computer before deleting from CommCell Browser. After you delete the client software, you can either leave the corresponding data intact for appropriate action or you can remove the data immediately. If you choose to remove the data immediately, you must delete the agent from the CommCell Browser. If you delete the agent, all of the agent's data is irretrievably lost.

• You cannot delete an agent while operations for that agent are running.

1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client>.
2. Right-click the <Agent>, and then click Delete.
3. A confirmation message is displayed with the following message:

   This operation will permanently delete the data backed up from this level and it cannot be restored.

4. Click OK to continue with the deletion operation., or click No to abort the deletion.

Deleting an instance

Consider the following before deleting an instance:

• When you delete a specific instance all job schedules and job histories that pertain to any of the levels within the deleted instance are deleted.
• You cannot delete an instance if it is being backed up. Attempts to delete an instance under such conditions cause the deletion to fail. If a backup is in progress, either wait for the backup to complete or kill the backup job using the Job Manager. Once the backup is no longer in progress, you can delete the instance level.
• You cannot delete an instance if there is only one instance present for an agent. To delete the final instance, you must remove the agent software from the client computer.

1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | <Agent>
2. Right-click the <Instance> that you want to delete, point to All Tasks and then click Delete.
3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion. (Clicking No cancels the deletion and retains the node.)
4. Type the requested phrase in the Enter Confirmation Text dialog box and click OK. This should delete the instance.

Deleting a Subclient

Consider the following before deleting a subclient:

• You cannot delete a default subclient.
• Schedules associated with the subclient are also automatically deleted.

1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | <Agent> | <Instance>.
2. Right-click the <Subclient> that you want to delete, and then click Delete.
3. A confirmation message is displayed, asking if you want to delete the subclient.

   Click No to cancel the deletion and retain the subclient, or click Yes to continue the deletion.